The only female crew member of The Mary Rose is to go on display after years
of painstaking reconstruction - a two-year-old mongrel called Hatch.

The 16th century sea dog acquired the nickname after divers discovered her remains near the sliding hatch door of the ill-fated ship's carpenter's cabin, where she had lain since it sank in 1545.

Hatch's skeleton will be on display at this year's Crufts as the special guest of the Kennel Club, along with a selection of other Tudor artefacts.

The mongrel was most likely on board as the ship's ratter - superstitious Tudor seamen did not have cats on board as they were thought to bring bad luck. According to experts, analysis of Hatch's skeleton suggests she spent most of her life within the confines of the ship.

"We are delighted to bring Hatch, the world's oldest lost sea dog, to the world's premier dog show, so that visitors can meet an ancestor of their much loved pets," said John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust and Hatch's guardian.

"Hatch is just one of 19,000 extraordinary Tudor treasures recovered with the wreck of the Mary Rose, but she has never been on display in Portsmouth simply because we have not had the room."

Following her appearance at the annual dog show, Hatch will finally return home to Portsmouth where she will be displayed in the Mary Rose Museum.

Caroline Kisko, Communications Director of the Kennel Club, said: "It is fantastic to host Hatch before she finally returns home. She is undoubtedly the oldest, most unusual and most historically important exhibit that we have ever had at DFS Crufts and her tragic story is bound to fascinate visitors. We are delighted to have her with us - after nearly 500 years of loyal service she is due a little 'shore leave'!"

The sinking of Henry VIII's flagship the Mary Rose has always remained a mystery. Research has suggested that the warship sank when it performed a sharp turn during a battle with the French and heeled so steeply the water flooded through its open gun ports.

In 2008, experts suggested that the gun ports may have been open because of a major misunderstanding between the ship's captain Admiral George Carew and his Spanish-speaking crew. The sinking of the ship resulted in the loss of almost 500 lives.

The wreck was found in the 1830s but lost again as The Solent silted up. It was not rediscovered until 1967.